MEC chairman Capt.
Jay Heppner, who joined
the picket, and SPSC
chairman Capt. Pieter
Velzeboer wish to thank
all the pilots who came
out to help us express
the United pilots’
frustrations with
prolonged negotiations
for a joint collective
bargaining agreement and
to communicate the
pilots’ concerns about
United’s sustained
practice of offshoring
our jobs.

On Friday, July 27,
Delta Air Lines
management confirmed
what had been rumored
for months—that the
company would be
shutting down its wholly
owned subsidiary Comair.
On September 29, this
once powerhouse of the
regional industry will
shut its doors, laying
off more than 600 active
pilots.

In May, the Comair
MEC Negotiating
Committee provided
Comair management with a
comprehensive plan for a
new pilot contract,
which included numerous
cost-cutting proposals
in a valiant effort to
save their airline and
their jobs. These
proposals would have
saved over $10 million
in just the first year.
However, the sacrifices
and concessions proposed
weren’t enough to
persuade Delta
management to keep
Comair active.

The
Federal Air Marshal
Service (FAMS) has
informed ALPA’s Aviation
Security chair, Capt.
Fred Eissler, that
funding is available for
new slots to train new
Federal Flight Deck
Officers during Fiscal
Year (FY) 2012. The FFDO
program has a large
number of initial
training slots to fill
prior to September 30
(the end of FY2012) and
the FAMS has requested
our assistance to
recruit candidates to
fill these available
slots.

This is a fast track
opportunity for anyone
interested in becoming
an FFDO. Three initial
training classes are
scheduled for September.
Each class will be held
at the Federal Law
Enforcement Training
Center (FLETC) in
Artesia, N.M., and is
one week in duration
(Sunday through
Saturday). FAMS has
informed ALPA that prior
to applying you must be
certain that you will be
able to attend at least
one of the classes prior
to submitting your name.

Specific class dates
are September 9-15,
September 16-22, and
September 23-29.

The
Air Line Pilots
Association, Int’l, will
hold its 58th Air Safety
Forum on Wednesday,
August 8, and Thursday,
August 9, at the Hilton
Washington in
Washington, D.C.

The world’s largest
independent aviation
safety organization,
ALPA will gather the
industry’s leading
experts to discuss
challenges in aviation
safety, security, and
human performance, and
the action required to
ensure that air
transportation in North
America achieves the
highest possible
standards.

The
aviation industry is changing faster than ever before. The new
“ALPA Daily”
feature at www.alpa.org will keep you informed
of the latest industry developments and analysis from around the globe. Check it
out each day to stay up-to-date on the news that affects pilots and the piloting
profession.

• According to Flightglobal, a six-month snapshot of global airline accidents
and incidents reveals a reasonably safe industry by recent standards.
Read more.

• The Dallas Morning News reports that as it battles to control its
destiny in bankruptcy court, American is starting to play a critical card: the
arrival of 543 new aircraft over the next 10 years.
Read more.

Today, the Senate
Commerce Committee
approved the European
Union Emissions Trading
Scheme Prohibition Act.
The bill was passed by
voice vote and may now
head to the Senate floor
for a vote.

ALPA thanks Sen. John
Thune (R-SD) for
sponsoring this
important legislation,
and all the members of
the Commerce Committee
who supported it today.
As the House has already
approved similar
legislation, we urge the
Senate to bring this
bill for a vote as soon
as possible. The EU-ETS
is an illegal tax on our
airlines, and its
enactment must be
prevented.

The Pilot’s Bill of Rights has reached the president’s desk and is expected to
soon be signed into law. This legislation was sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla), who ALPA featured in
Air Line Pilot magazine in March. The bill will allow pilots easier
access to evidence against them if faced with disciplinary action by the FAA.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), serving the greater New York City
area, was originally dedicated as New York International Airport on July 31,
1948. It was rededicated “JFK” in December 1963, as requested by the mayor and
council of the City of New York, and a resolution from the port authority.

If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail
address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you
will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices,
and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the
magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to
www.alpa.org and logging
in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be
instructed how to make the necessary changes.

If you don’t have access to the
members-only section of
www.alpa.org, you can
e-mail your requests by sending them to
membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other
information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us
what information needs to be updated.

Please note that it is not sufficient
just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with
the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon.

Can’t remember your member number
or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and
other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting
membership@alpa.org.